Orlando Jones

American comedian Orlando Jones got his start in the entertainment industry by making a McDonald's commercial with Michael Jordan. He then hosted Fox's music series Sound FX until Quincy Jones handpicked him to be one of the original cast members of MADtv. His signature roles on MADtv include his impressions of O.J. Simpson, Andre 3000, and Samuel L. Jackson. In 1997, he left the show to pursue a film career and other projects.

Jones has also made brief appearances on various sitcoms such as A Different World, for which he was also a writer, The Bernie Mac Show, and Everybody Hates Chris.

From 1999 to 2002, Jones was the spokesman for 7-Up soda, appearing in a series of popular and comical commercials. After gaining widespread recognition from this campaign, he hosted a late-night talk show called The Orlando Jones Show, but it ended after one season.

Orlando Jones has had a prolific film career over the past decade or so since his first substantial role in Liberty Heights (1999), a film about racial inequality in 1950s America. He also has a cameo in Office Space (1999), in which he plays a former drug addict who sells magazine subscriptions. Many fans of this cult comedy consider Jones' cameo to be one of the funniest parts of the movie.

Jones shifts from comedy to drama to every genre in between with ease, and he proved this ability when he starred in the feature film Magnolia (1999), directed by Oscar winner Paul Thomas Anderson. In addition, Jones had starring roles in Bedazzled (2000), Evolution (2001), and Drumline (2002).